Apple loosens App Store rules after court order in legal battle with Epic Games

Apple App Store

Apple has officially updated its App Store rules in the US, allowing developers to bypass its infamous in-app purchase system. This dramatic policy change follows a California court order, stemming from the long-running legal clash with Epic Games.

In short: developers can now include buttons or links directing users to external payment platforms—without needing Apple’s prior blessing and, more importantly, without forking over a commission. For years, Apple has taken a 30% cut of in-app purchases. Even after Judge Yvonne Gonzalez Rogers’ original 2021 ruling told Apple to knock it off, the company dragged its feet, introduced a “27% workaround,” and even implemented scare screens to spook users away from third-party payment options.

“The App Review Guidelines have been updated for compliance with a United States court decision regarding buttons, external links, and other calls to action in apps. These changes affect apps distributed on the United States storefront of the App Store, and are reflected in updates to Guidelines 3.1.1, 3.1.1(a), 3.1.3, and 3.1.3(a),” said Apple on its developer portal.

The court ruled that Apple can no longer impose fees or roadblocks for purchases made outside the App Store. Apple has now updated its guidelines accordingly, applying this only to the US storefront for now.

This opens the door for developers like Spotify and Epic to offer external purchases directly—and Fortnite is already on its way back to iOS. Epic CEO Tim Sweeney has dangled a truce: if Apple makes this a global policy, Epic will end its legal crusade. So far, Apple isn’t budging on that front.